Unforgettable
by kitty2399
Summary: A "Two-Shot" on a new perspective of Steve's transition, first through the eyes of Tony and Coleson in 2012, and then back in time to the eyes of Howard and Peggy in 1951. A little bit of Howard/Peggy, can't say the same for Tony and Coleson. ;
1. New York, 2012

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or any of the characters. They belong to MARVEL and the incredible Stan Lee! That being said, I'm interested in prospects of a co-ownership of Loki. ;) I also don't own the song "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole. Now onto the story!

The first chapter is set roughly at the beginning of the Avengers. I wrote it before I saw the Avengers, so I can see where there are a few things that might now be 100 percent cannon. The second will be shortly after Captain America.

Thank you and happy reading! Kitty2399

**New York, 2012**

Tony was happy to finally talk to Coleson. He didn't know enough about this mystery man. He was always around, but never around enough. He wanted more answers from him, more answers about the S.H.I.E.L.D. Program. It felt like there was so much to S.H.I.E.L.D. that was being hidden from him.

"So what do you want to talk about Mr. Stark?" Coleson asked with his typical half hearted smile.

"Nothing in particular boss. Just wanted to know more about the program." Coleson gave him a suspicious glance. "Really! That's all! I know you're not used to me following the rules, but I figured as long as we're all playing on the same team, I can be a good boy and play fair with the the other kids."

Coleson's suspicion didn't waver much, but he was willing to show Tony what he was asking for. "Fine Mr. Stark. Let me show you some of our training facilities- Actually..." He looked at him with a little caution, then decided to go for it. "I have something I think you should see. Follow me."

Coleson decided to take Tony to somewhere even he hadn't been in a while. This was a risk and quite a walk, but he was willing to take it. As they made their way through countless corridors and down various flights of stairs, they made their way to a section of the base that looked much more aged than any of the other sections.

"Not that I don't enjoy that fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. is as big as LAX, but where-..." Suddenly, Tony's heart started pounding, and his eyes widened. They made it to a green doorway with the heading "STEVE ROGERS MEMORIAL BASE". He just stood there for a second. This is not what he was expecting from a few questions with Coleson. His mouth became dry, his hands got clammy, and his eyes were fixed dead on the heading of the doorway. He cleared his throat before asking. "...Does Rogers know about this place?"

Coleson typed a password into the entrance pad, the only thing around that took the base out of the 1940's. "No. Not yet."

Tony heard the doors unlock and Coleson open the door, waiting for him to walk in. As the doors opened, he could hear music playing in the background. "Unforgettable."

"What?"

"Nothing." Tony straightened his stance and made his way through the doorway.

The base was unbelievable. He had no idea S.H.I.E.L.D. was this old or had this kind of information. For some reason though, it made him angry too. It made him angry for Steve. Coleson saw the way Steve was suffering and he didn't show him this part of his life. He had to have been here before.

It chilled Tony to think that Steve looked the same in this room in the 1940's as he did now. "Why did you take me here?"

"Why do you think Mr. Stark?" Coleson could see that Tony and Steve were having trouble getting along. Maybe if he showed him a piece of his Steve's old life, he could better understand him.

"Here..." Coleson had trouble opening the next heavy door that hadn't been opened in a long time. "This room you're going to like."

Tony wasn't a fan of the childish show-and-tell routine, but even he couldn't help but walk into the room with a sense of wonder he hadn't experienced before. He took in a deep breath as he walked onto the balcony of an old laboratory. In the middle of the room was a round steel cylinder, big enough to hold a man, with tables covered in vials next to it.

"What the hell is that?" Tony asked as he followed Coleson down the stairs to the middle of the operating room.

Coleson smiled slightly as he answered, "This is your father's work."

Tony stood in awe as he noticed the etching of "STARK" along the side of the steel orb. He was at a loss. His father never told him about "The Super-Soldier" project or that he worked with a "Steve Rogers". But then again, why would he? Howard Stark didn't talk about his past work with anyone, let alone his son. Tears slowly rimmed his eyes as he continued to look over the project. "I had no idea."

"I know Mr. Stark." Coleson tried to be reassuring, even protective of him. He didn't dislike Tony, it was just hard to reach him sometimes. And that's why they were here. "This project was brought to your father early in his career, and... it also ended early in his career. He might have just wanted to forget about it."

"Why would he want to forget about this?" Tony looked up at him with confusion and awe.

"This project ended in tragedy. A hero fell, and most people didn't want to stick around to see what came from it. Your father was different. He searched for Steve for years. He checked in with us about Steve until the day he died. He had hope for a miracle for Steve, but that kind of hope is hard to have when everyone shouts back the contrary and more likely answer to your questions. I believe it was at this time that he found the element in your chest piece."

"...The element I _created_?"

"The one you _duplicated _Mr. Stark. With all do respect."

Tony grabbed his chest, feeling for the light from his reactor. "So... Steve, he..."

"Mr. Stark, without Mr. Rogers, a lot of this wouldn't be possible. Without your father, it wouldn't be possible. You are involved in something bigger than you could ever imagine, and I promise, it is only going to get bigger from here."

Tony took a breath and started walking around the lab, observing the room around him. It was old and dusty and dark, but still beautiful. There was something to it. He knew he could stay here for hours and learn and build, maybe even learn from his father. _That's _what it was about this place. His father. He could feel him here.

Coleson took a step toward him, "Are you okay?"

"Why the music?" Tony could hear the music playing again in the background of the lab. It was constantly playing. How long had it been on? "_Unforgettable_. Why _Unforgettable_?"

Coleson seemed a little wary to answer the next question, he didn't know how much he should be sharing about the other members to Tony, but he was willing to take the risk. "Um... I believe it was the choice of one of Mr. Rogers old coworkers."

"Who?"

"Peggy Carter was her name I believe. She started listening to it when it came out a few years after Steve... well. She and your father searched for him their whole lives. They never gave up on him."

After a bit of silence between the both of them, Tony cleared the knot in his throat and was back to his easy, sarcastic self. "Well, can they take the damn song off repeat? I swear, if anyone worked down here now, they'd start breaking the vials." He smiled at Coleson, who looked less than amused, and then began making his way back up the stairs. "So is there anything else you wanted to show me?... Hey..."

He looked behind him to find Coleson standing back where he was before. "You coming?"

"Mr. Stark. I need you to understand something. We are bringing Mr. Rogers back to reality slowly. This is a really difficult process for him, and it will be on OUR TIME when we decide to show him this place or tell him about your father or Ms. Carter. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Tony was upset with this decision, but nevertheless, he answered, "Sure chief..."

They walked back up the stairs and made their way out of the base in silence. It wasn't until after they made their way through some of the more modern looking halls, and they were back out of the 1940's that they could breathe again.

"So anything else you've got to show me Coleson? Thor doesnít have any _brothers_, does he?" Tony chuckled to himself as they made their way through.


	2. New York, 1951

**New York, 1951**

Howard was just getting out of the testing room. He had spent the entire day alternating between his research on the "mystery element" he found a couple years prior, and his attempt to find any signs of Steve. He couldn't believe it had been so long since Steve went missing.

It drove him crazy the way people were giving up on the search. No one had hope anymore that Captain America could be alive. That he could make his way out of it. What the people writing the headlines didn't understand was, they weren't looking for Captain America. They were looking for their friend Steve, and they weren't ever going to give up.

Even the people that were still coming into work, to research every day were having their doubts. They would come in late and leave early, and it seemed like it was just Howard and Peggy anymore that stayed around to really do the hard work. Like their were only two hearts left in the project.

The air felt clean and cool in the main laboratory. Like he could breathe again. He looked across the room and saw his first big experiment, "The Super-Soldier". Everyone had left, so it was just him and his work again. He was all sweaty from work with the new element... "what's-its-name" he called it... Every day, he worked himself to exhaustion, and in a year, he couldn't believe he could look even more scrawny and ridiculous than he did before. He hadn't shaved in a couple days, and his hair was all messed up. He was all kinds of scary walking into this lab. But there she was anyway, there to see his latest absurdity.

Peggy had changed so much in the little time that Steve had been gone. Still strong and gorgeous, but also really tired, really broken. She wore her hair up more, wore less makeup, kept to herself and her work.

"Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole had just come out, and she was listening to it nonstop. The damn song drove him crazy now. But seeing her at the top of the stairs, swaying a little to the music, he could handle a little repetition.

Howard knew that Peggy's heart was with Steve, so he didn't ask for anything more from her. He enjoyed their companionship and was happy with his infamous single status. His passion was his work, so women didn't mean too much to him. He was okay with that.

But Peggy was different. He just cared about her more than other women. She wasn't a woman like the others were. She was his friend, and he wanted more than anything to help her through the sadness that overtook her.

It broke both their hearts to physically see people's hope diminish. But he wasn't going to give up. Not while she was still here.

He put some of his work on a steel cabinet, causing her to jerk and turn around. He smiled up at her, swaying a little back and forth in a goofy manner. She laughed and made her way down the stairs, as he made his way up.

He loved making her laugh when he had the chance. He liked getting her mind off how tough things really were. He was the clown, and he was good at it. Maybe they could both have some fun tonight.

They made their way to the middle floor of the stairs and he put out his hand, laughing, "May I have this dance madam?"

She smiled a genuine, sweet smile, "Why not?"

He spun her around a little bit, and swayed her in all sorts of goofy directions. They were both laughing hard, and finally, when they both grew tired, they just swayed slowly in each other's arms.

As their embrace grew closer, he knew what was coming next, what his job would be now. He would be her "Steve" for the rest of this dance... A much shorter, scrawnier Steve, but a Steve nonetheless. As he held her in his arms, he knew she was closing her eyes. He knew she would rest her head on his shoulder and pretend it was Steve's. He knew her steps would get a little more dreamy, and she would get lost in a place far away from where he was.

He knew that was what Peggy was looking for when she danced with him: "her right dance partner". She wanted Steve so bad it hurt, so bad that she could transcend her friendship with scrawny Howard Stark, and turn him into a man who was better.

It hurt him to say, but he was starting to believe it too. As they danced, he felt like he could let go of his playboy facade, his goofy habits, his awkwardness. He could be strong and noble and good like Steve was. He could be that man for Peggy. He wanted to do that for her.

He got lost in that thought, until, she lifted her head, and he looked into her eyes. He didn't even feel it happen, really. Suddenly, like a dream, his fingers were through her hair and he was leaning into her, pressing his lips to hers.

He knew for that while, he was Steve. As she kissed him, he was a new man. Until, suddenly, it all stopped.

"Wait, Howard... Stop!" Peggy pushed him out of the kiss, and her defenses came up like bricks between them. Tears filled her eyes suddenly, and she looked scared, furious, too much to take in all at once.

"Peggy, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. God! Peggy." Her reached for her arm and she pulled back defensively. "Peggy please, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm not."

Tears started streaming down her face. She felt guilty, heart broken, scared, all at the same time. If she did this, it felt like she was really finally losing Steve. Whatever defenses were up since Steve went missing, they all went away, and the horror of losing him came back.

"I didn't mean to. God Peggy. I'm so sorry."

Tears filled his eyes as he too saw what was really going on. They both lost their friend, and she finally realized it. It was time, wasn't it? They both knew, after this painstaking couple years. They might not find their friend Steve. They might have to let go.

NO. Not tonight. Tonight they wouldn't lose their hope like everyone else. They would hurt, and they would cry, and they would miss Steve, but they would NOT lose their hope.

She buried her head in his chest, and he held her close to him in his arms. "It's okay Peggy. It's okay. We're going to find him Peggy... Shh... It's okay." And he would not let go. He would not lose hope.


End file.
